what would i need

[meat]

what else do i need to set up a BASIC soft coral tank?
im getting lights and i have a skimmer.
how much lr do i need? its a 55g and i have seen tanks set up with out lr, but they were fowlr. do you need a lot of live rock in a tank like the one i am trying to set up?

[weez1959]

I'm lost, isn't fowlr fish only WITH live rock?
Normally you need anywhere between 1-2 pounds per gallon so you would need 55-110 pounds. It's kinda useful for putting your corals on. Not to mention the benefit of good filtration...

[meat]

my mistake.it was a saltwater set up with out lr.
do coral tanks need more filteration than a fowlr set up?
-i know im not going to be getting 110 pounds of lr. i really didnt think you needed that much to keep softies.
i already have live rock and i am going to get some more soon, but does having lr in your coral tank even matter. i was always told that you needed live rock and a sand substrate to have a successful fowlr set up then i saw a few of them with red gravel and plastic plants that were going great.
so i just need to know how much lr is actually needed.

thank you for your time

[returnofsid]

Coral tanks do need better filtration than a fish only tank. It's not so much that they need better filtration, they need different filtration. With a fish only tank, you could get away with using canister filters. They work well for that purpose. In a reef system, a canister filter would become a nitrate factory. Nitrates aren't such a problem in a fish only system. In a coral system, nitrates are BAD. Live rock at 1-2 lbs per gallon and a good skimmer is all you need. For a tank your size, a Remora HOB skimmer would be great. What kind of lighting are you going to be running? Soft corals aren't near as light demanding as LPS or SPS but you'll definitely need more light than you would for a fish only system. A 48" Compact Fluorescent fixture would be great and would also allow you to keep most LPS and even some of the less light demanding SPS, as long as you keep them high in your rockwork.

[meat]

how many power heads do you think i would need? i already only have 1. do soft coral like lots of water movement?
-thanks

[weez1959]

It depends on what kind of power head you're using,
I have just one of these in my 75 and I get great water movement/currents

Tunze Turbelle Stream Pump - 6060

[meat]

just a basic 125-200 gph power heads. how many.
-thanks

[returnofsid]

You should aim for an absolute minimum of 600 GPH total flow. You'd be much better off with 900-1000. With 125-200 gph power heads, you should go with 3 or 4. If you were to upgrade to say a Maxi Jet 1200, which delivers 295 GPH, you'd be much better off. They're on of the best power heads made and cost around $20.00 each. 3 of them would give you just under 900 GPH. If you aim them in a way that their flow either bounces off of eachother or off of tank walls, it'll create a more random flow...which is even better!!

[Frodo]

my mistake.it was a saltwater set up with out lr.
do coral tanks need more filteration than a fowlr set up?
-i know im not going to be getting 110 pounds of lr. i really didnt think you needed that much to keep softies.
i already have live rock and i am going to get some more soon, but does having lr in your coral tank even matter. i was always told that you needed live rock and a sand substrate to have a successful fowlr set up then i saw a few of them with red gravel and plastic plants that were going great.
so i just need to know how much lr is actually needed.

thank you for your time

Well by the way you are posting/talking it seems like you want to cut corners. I would put LR on the same importances as the salt water itself. It doesnt to much which kinda of coral you run they are all pretty much very needy on the water quality side. LR will aid in the breaking down of harmful ammonia/nitrites/nitrates that a filter alone cant handle, hell most of us dont run a filter. Most are more a problem then an aid. "red gravel and plastic plants" wow that is a no-no for coral, i would imagine that the paint would break down over time and the plastic plants just dont fit in. LS is not really a must, just more for looks if you ask me. Most go bare bottom. But for a good look about 2lbs per a gallon usually makes a good looking bottom.